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This is for a guy at work. Should he fight his natural dominance and learn righty or go with a left handed guitar? I am sure there are pros and cons and maybe even a FAQ which would be nice. Please advise and thanks in advance.

Lots of left-handed people go against their natural "handedness" and learn to play right-handed (I'm not one of them).

I would say it really depends on him. He could see if he can rent a right-handed guitar for a couple months and take some lessons and see how it goes. If after playing that way for a couple months he's making progress and it feels okay to him, I'd say by all means, learn right-handed!

But if after some time with it, he still wants to flip the guitar over (and even finds himself doing his from time to time), then he may want to go ahead and learn lefty.

While the left-handed guitars selection in most shops (including Guitar Center) is somewhere between pathetic and atrocious, there are lots of left-handed guitars available via online sources, or through special order. There will always be some that just aren't available lefty, but that's the price some of us pay for playing the way that feels natural and 'right' to us.

How hard would it be for you to relearn to play chords and lead lines the proper way, since you're already picking and fretting with the proper hand for your left-handedness?

I would think that would be a pretty quick transition... I say this because I play right-handed guitars upside down in the shops all the time (because lefties are non-existent), and it's not perfect or seamless, but I can get along and play a little. Playing "upside down" just takes a little rethinking and practice.

reverend mikey: "6tringr,
How hard would it be for you to relearn to play chords and lead lines the proper way, since you're already picking and fretting with the proper hand for your left-handedness?"

I've picked up properly-strung LH guitars a few times, and can't make any sounds that are are any more musical than those that happen when I hold a RH guitar right-handed.

I am left handed, but I first learned to play guitar right handed, because I played the violin and viola for 9 years in school. An industrial accident in 1974 took my index finger and part of my middle finger on my left (fretting) hand. I had to learn to play all over again, left handed. It was very frustrating, and at times I wanted to quit.

I'm a natural lefty who was forced to be right handed by mother (a lefty!) and my teachers. In some ways I'm ambidextrous, but for the most part I'm confused.

When I was 17 or so I had a guitar class at school & did OK playing RH, but I didn't stick with it. Three decades later I decided to again take up guitar, but wondered if I could play LH. I failed spectacularily.

I have since learned that I have the musical aptitude of intellectually challenged gnat. And I'm tone deaf.

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